Protective device



Oct. 15, 1963 J. A. DANOWSKY PROTECTIVE DEVICE Filed May 8, 1962 INVENTOR JOHN ADA/VOWSKX' A RNEY United States Patent 3,106,715 PROTECTIVE DEVICE John A. Danowsky, 634 W. Penn St, Shenandoah, Pa. Filed May 8, 1962, Ser. No. 193,232 Claims. (11. 2-9) The present invention relates to improvements in protective eye shields primarily for use by workmen in mines to protect the eyes from injury against flying particles or chips, the concept being to provide protection to the upper portion of the face without affecting the vision of the wearer.

Heretofore, the devices which are normally supplied to and available for use by miners in hard or soft coal mines have been goggles or glasses which afford very little protection to the upper portion of the face, particularly when the miner is looking up at an angle toward a wall of coal. Although the miner has the customary hat on to protect his head, when he looks rupwardly the eyebrows as well as the forehead are unprotected from falling coal. Unless he is wearing some type of goggles in lieu of glasses, the falling fragments and chips will strike the face between the hat brim and the upper edge of the glasses and then fall into the eyes. However, this and other difliculties arising from devices providing inadequate protection for the face and eyes are overcome by the present invention.

Accordingly, the principal object of the invention is to provide an eye and upper face protective shield which is economical to manufacture and easy to assemble.

Still another object is to support a continuous band or flexible frame of sponge-like material in spaced relation to a rectangular body of foraminous material to thereby absorb the perspiration of the wearer.

Another object is to provide a protective shield for the eyes and upper face which can be readily washed after each usage.

A further object is to provide a protective shield of the type described which by having removable elements therefor may be repaired by purchasing parts therefor.

The details of the invention, as well as additional objects and advantages, will be clearly understood with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the accom panying drawing employing similar reference numerals to identify the same elements in each of the similar views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the protective eye shield;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section on line 22 of FIG. 1 showing a view of the assembly of the shield; and

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the removable stretch band showing its means of attachment to the shield.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is clearly shown a rectangular body portion, generally indicated at 16, constructed of suitable foraminous material 11, such as light weight aluminum screen wire. It will be understood that by the use of such a flexible material as aluminum screen wire the device can be made to readily conform to the face of the wearer so that its upper edge will substantially abut the sweat band of a miners hat. Thus, no damage will be inflicted to the upper face or eyes of the wearer if the miner has occasion to be working in a mine and looking upwardly toward a wall of coal and a large fragment of coal should break loose and happen to be deflected into his face.

The entire perimeter of the foraminous body 11 is encompassed with a suitable [flexible plastic member 12 having an inverted generally U-shape configuration as is best shown in FIG. 2. A shelf or ledge element 13, which is integral with the plastic member 12, is suitably spaced beneath the perimeter thereof and is adapted to 3,106,715 Patented Oct. 1 5, 1 963 receive and retain an absorptive sponge-like body 14. The plastic material 12, with which the rectangular body is framed (FIG. 2), may be made of any of the wellknown flexible plastics, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, cellulose acetate and other of the well known resinous materials. As illustrated, the spongelike body 14 is a continuous or endless member which may be produced by punching or cutting from a large blank of material having suitable dimensions. Subsequent to positioning the sponge-like body 14- on the ledge 13, this assembly is covered by an integument or envelope 15 that is manufactured from a suitable stretchtype fabric material the inner and outer edges 16 and 17, respectively, of which have sufficient elasticity to cause them to adhere closely adjacent to and abut the foraminous material 11.

It is to be understood that when desirable the purchaser may disassemble the protective shield and wash the sponge-like body and thereafter re-assemble the same preparatory to its next usage. However, in view of the simplicity of the materials used, it would be satisfactory to wash and dry the. entire device without disassembling. With this new concept in devices of this type, it is known that after continued usage and whether washed separately or in assembled relation, it is well to be able to replace the sponge-like body 1-4 since it will gradually deteriorate under the best of circumstances from continuously absorbing perspiration.

Accordingly, from the above, it will be readily appreciated that the entire device may be easily assembled by unskilled workers and additionally can be repaired by the purchaser without the need of special equipment.

In FIG. 3, there is shown a clip 18 that may be manufactured of any suitable thin non-ferrous or sufficiently thin ferrous metal that it may be bent into the position shown at FIG. 1 where on each of a pair of these clips is shown attached to opposite sides of the protective shield. To facilitate assembly of the elastic fabric material 19 with the metallic clip 18, the latter is slotted as at 20 and thereby adapted to receive an end of the elastic material 19. It will be apparent that the elastic material may be doubled back upon itself and suitably stitched thereby providing a transversely extending pocket at 21 in which may be positioned a pin 22, thus preventing the material from being unintentionally withdrawn from the slot 20 in clip 18. Any conventional catch means may be attached to the free ends of the elastic fabric material 19, since this forms no part of my invention. Moreover, it will be apparent that one piece of elastic material of adequate length may be sufficient for attachment about the head thereby eliminating the catch means not shown.

With further reference to FIG. 3, attention is directed to the serrated edges or teeth 23 which are formed at the free ends of the clip 18. These teeth will engage in the interstices of the foraminous material 11 and thereby provide a more secure assembly.

It is also to be understood that the plastics which are mentioned hereinbefore as being available, and from which the rectangular binding or frame may be formed, need not necessarily be in a dry or substantially finished state. In other words, for example, if preferred, the forarninous material may be introduced into a mold into which the plastic substance is then injected in a liquid state. It will be apparent that by such a step in the assembly the plastic material will thus fill the interstices adjacent to the top, bottom and opposed side edges thereof and form an integrated device ready to receive the sponge-like material.

Although but one embodiment of the invention has been depicted and described, it will be apparent that this embodiment is illustrative in nature and that a number of modifications in the apparatus and variations in its end use may be effected without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a forehead, eye and nose protector, the combination of a substantially rectangular body portion of toraminous material providing a sight opening therethrough, said foraminous material having top, bottom and opposed edge portions, a reinforcing binding encompassing said top, bottom and opposed edge portions, said binding being provided with an oifstanding ledge spaced beneath the outer perimeter of said body, perspiration absorbent sponge-like material supported on said ledge with the .outermost edge thereof substantially co-planar to said rectangular body, and a flexible, porous-like material enveloping said reinforcing binding and sponge-like material, and means secured adjacent to the side edges of said rectangular body to retain the same to the head of the wearer.

2. In an eye protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcing binding material encompassing said rectangular body is bonded to the top, bottom and edge portions of the foraminous material.

3. In an eye protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binding secured to the top, bottom and opposed edge portions of the rectangular body is substantially U-shaped in configuration.

4. In an eye protector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means secured to said rectangular body for retaining the eye protector to the head of the wearer is provided with removable clip means.

5. In an eye protector as claimed in claim 4, wherein said clip is provided with suitable serrations at the free ends thereof for engaging in the interstices of the foraminous material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,289,481 Lamb Dec. 31, 1918 1,633,586 Hunter June 28, 1927 1,640,676 Schaeifer Aug. 30, 1927 2,305,080 Hemphill et al. Dec. 15, 1942 2,387,849 Lehmberg et al. Oct. 30, 1945 2,630,569 Baratelli et al Mar. 10, 1953 2,762,051 Finkin Sept. 11, 1956 2,804,623 Hirschmann Sept. 3, 1957 2,907,041 Finn Oct. 6, 1959 3,056,140 Lindblom Oct. 2, 1962 

1. IN A FOREHEAD, EYE AND NOSE PROTECTOR, THE COMBINATION OF A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR BODY PORTION OF A FORAMINOUS MATERIAL PROVIDING A SIGHT OPENING THERETHROUGH, SAID FORAMINOUS MATERIAL HAVING TOP, BOTTOM AND OPPOSED EDGE PORTIONS, A REINFORCING BINDING ENCOMPASSING SAID TOP, BOTTOM AND OPPOSED EDGE PORTIONS, SAID BINDING BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OFFSTANDING LEDGE SPACED BENEATH THE OUTER PERIMETER OF SAID BODY, PERSPIRATION ABSORBENT SPONGE-LIKE MATERIAL SUPPORTED ON SAID LEDGE WITH THE OUTERMOST EDGE THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY CO-PLANAR TO SAID RECTANGULAR BODY, AND A FLEXIBLE, POROUS-LIKE MATERIAL ENVELOPING SAID REINFORCING BINDINGAND SPONGE-LIKE MATERIAL, AND MEANS SECURED ADJACENT TO THE SIDE EDGES OF SAID RECTANGULAR BODY TO RETAIN THE SAME TO THE HEAD OF THE WEARER. 